Gravity and shipboard life in 23XXAD

[Sandcaster]

Hey, folks:

I'm a newcomer to 2300AD, but I'm excited about both T20 and 2320AD and would like to put together a game in the next couple months. I've got the FFE CD-ROM of 2300AD ordered, and hope to find there some answers to the questions I have, but I thought I'd turn to you all in the meantime.

Since 23xxAD is hard science fiction, there is no artificial gravity, yet extended exposure to zero- or micro-gravity can have detrimental health effects for humans. I would imagine that, given the nature of the stutterwarp drive, folk don't spend too much time in zero-G.

The 2320AD pdf (p 306) (and these forums) discuss measures for simulating gravity including rotating arms, spun hulls, etc. The etranger site has some images of warships and the like which is helpful, but my questions are:

1. What would a smaller trading or exploration vessel, like the kind a group of PCs might fly, look like?

2. Would such a smaller ship be able to simulate gravity or would spaceflights be zero-G. For example, the Thorez-class Courier (p 327) has a wedge-shaped hull and is capable of interface operations, so a spun hull or rotating arm structure seems unlikely. Is that correct?

3. If such a ship operates at zero-G, what is everyday life like aboard ship? I imagine it to be similar to modern-day space flight (vacuum tubes for toilets, food packets, maybe hand-holds along the wall to assist with movement).

Thanks!

Sc

 

[Colin]

Most smaller ships do not have any way of simulating gravity. Even some of the larger ships don't, at least in the old "Ships of the French Arm" book. The 0-G DNAM prevents most catastrophic health issues due to microgravity. Even with that, exercise is constantly required.

As for plumbing and other fittings on 0G vessels, look no further than NASA

 

[kmsoice]

1. What would a smaller trading or exploration vessel, like the kind a group of PCs might fly, look like?

When you get your CD look up the book "Ships of the French Arm" it should give you all the material you need. I have always imagined the PCs tramping about on a Thorez. See a really nice detailed writeup on the ship at
http://www.geocities.com/TimesSquare/Arcade/2303/mag/thorez.htm

2. Would such a smaller ship be able to simulate gravity or would spaceflights be zero-G. For example, the Thorez-class Courier (p 327) has a wedge-shaped hull and is capable of interface operations, so a spun hull or rotating arm structure seems unlikely. Is that correct?

Yes, spaceflight on a Thorez would be zero-G.

3. If such a ship operates at zero-G, what is everyday life like aboard ship? I imagine it to be similar to modern-day space flight (vacuum tubes for toilets, food packets, maybe hand-holds along the wall to assist with movement).

Yah, I have always seen the movies 'Aliens' and 'Outland' as great inspriations of life looks like in 2300AD. Everything looks like it came straight out of NASA but older, commercialized, kind of dingy.

 

[kmsoice]

3. If such a ship operates at zero-G, what is everyday life like aboard ship? I imagine it to be similar to modern-day space flight (vacuum tubes for toilets, food packets, maybe hand-holds along the wall to assist with movement).

Oh, I nearly forgot. The GDW book 'Nyotekundu Sourcebook' ,which you will get on your CD, has exhaustive sections on zero-gee & daily life aboard space ships.

 

[epicenter00]

I've always imagined that there's a small infomercial style industry that revolves around small-time ship owners in 2320 catering to their needs with devices of dubious effectiveness, like a soloflex of the future - a small gravity simulator wheel you could set up as a connection to an airlock (or for those with a bit more space, in an empty cargo hold) that you could sleep supposedly in some simulation of gravity sufficient to prevent the detrimental effects of 0-G without all that exercise that you're supposed to get but you never get around to doing (you know, like the diets of the future).

There'd be plenty of paid testimonial by various "0-G specialists" who dress and talk like doctors, but the person could just as easily be a cargo handler pilot to legally be a "0-G specialist" without breaking truth in advertising laws and photogenic spacers ("Good god, I'd love wrestle cargo with her!" "Man, can that skinsuit get any tighter?") talking about the various benefits of it. I figure most captains have such a device, but they were such a pain to put up and take down, they're "slid under the bed" or "gather dust in the garage/closet" ... the captain won't get rid of it since it's supposed to be useful and will claim they'll get back to using it for their crew someday...but not at the moment.

Real doctors specializing in 0-G medicine might be split on the benefits of such a system, perhaps saying that if you could REALLY stay in the wheels for X hours a day, yes, it'd have some benefits but the realities of a small crew sort of keep that from happening, while others claim the fractional Gs set up by the devices aren't enough to have any appreciable effect and it's all just a scam, and that every doctor knows that the "League of Space Medicine" is some corporate Political Action Committee totally funded by Trilon and several other large companies.

 

[Anders]

One way of simulating gravity on a Thorez might be to launch a heavy counterweight (such as a few cargo cannisters filled with junk) at the end of a fullerene cable from the cargo hold and then setting the whole system into rotation. You would get some "vertical" gravity if the cable is long enough. It will not work well while warping (the cable will be too long to be entirely inside the field and will be cut), but could be used as "poor man's gravity" while orbiting a planet.

There are also a long list of "spaceman's remedies" for zero gravity distress, from homeopathic bounce and the infamous anti-spacesickness spin (often inflicted on newbies: "Really, it works. Trust me - go into the airlock and do the spin and you will feel much better!") to electrodynamic body stockings (gives both gentle massage/training *and* prevents fluid buildup in the limbs!) and special calisthenics programs claiming to be much more effective than those oldfashioned methods they teach in the space academy - these ones combine the age-old wisdom of tai chi with the latest ideas from crossover Sung yoga!

 

[Sandcaster]

Thanks!

Thanks for the great responses, folks. The Thorez webpage was just what I was looking for, and epicenter's thoughts on 0-G hucksters will definitely be put to good use.

Can't wait for the CD-ROM to arrive. Sadly, paypal likes to use a very old address as the default sometimes when I do a direct purchase like that, so FFE ended up with the wrong address on the order. I followed up with a message with the correct address. Hope he gets it.

Thanks again, all!